Christ's Message to the Churches
By Pastor Bill Monroe ·
Revelation: Know What's Next
About this sermon
In Revelation chapter 1, the apostle John is given a vision of Jesus Christ unlike anything he had ever seen before. Sixty years after last seeing the Savior, John now beholds the glorified Christ—clothed in dignity, radiant in holiness, all-seeing, all-powerful, and walking in the midst of His churches. This message focuses on Christ’s self-revelation to the seven churches of Asia and what that revelation means for every local church today. Jesus is not presented here as the suffering Lamb, but as the risen, eternal Lord—alive forevermore, holding the keys of death and hell, and exercising authority over His churches. The seven golden candlesticks are identified by Scripture itself as local churches, established to bear the light of the gospel in a dark world. Christ is seen walking among them, examining them, and speaking directly to them. His message reminds us that the church exists for one supreme purpose: to lift up the light of Jesus Christ and proclaim the gospel faithfully. This sermon challenges every believer to consider their relationship to the church Christ loves, and every church to examine whether it continues to meet the New Testament qualifications that invite the presence of the Lord walking in its midst.